1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to amorphous metal alloys and products thereof and more particularly is directed towards a novel class of amorphous metal alloys rich in iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium and/or manganese and low in metalloids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A solid amorphous metal is one in which the constituent atoms are arranged in a spatial pattern that exhibits no long range order, that is, it is non-crystalline. This lack of long range order is also a characteristic of liquids, but amorphous solids are distinguished from liquids by their high rigidity, which is comparable to that of crystalline bodies. Some metallic alloys, if cooled rapidly, can be formed into amorphous solids. Amorphous solids of this type are sometimes known as glassy metals. Solid amorphous metals may be obtained from certain alloy compositions, and an amorphous substance generally characterizes a non-crystalline or glassy substance. In distinguishing an amorphous substance from a crystalline substance, X-ray diffraction measurements are generally employed.
Heretofore, a limited number of amorphous metal alloys have been prepared. An alloy can be produced in the amorphous state by rapidly quenching a molten alloy of a suitable composition or, alternatively, by a deposition technique or other suitable means. Suitably employed vapor deposition, sputtering, electro-deposition or chemical deposition can be used to produce the amorphous metal.
Previously, amorphous metals quenched from melts which have been rich in iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium and/or manganese have generally either contained about 15 to 25 atomic percent of a metalloid (e.g. phosphorus, boron, carbon, silicon, etc.), generally referred to as transition metal-metalloid (TM-M) alloys, or more than about 30 percent of early transition metals (e.g. niobium or tantalum), generally referred to as inter-transition metal (TM-TM) alloys.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel class of alloys and products made therefrom in which the alloys are rich in iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium and/or manganese and low in metalloids compared to previously known liquid-quenched amorphous alloys rich in iron, nickel, cobalt, chromium and/or manganese.